Aria's on A Short LeAsh
by sototallyrandom
Summary: Aria is kidnapped by A and the girls have to team up with Ezra to find her. Will they get to her in time? I do not own Pretty Little Liars
1. Chapter 1

Spencer's POV

Emily and I were sitting in our seats in second period English class already when Aria rushes into the room and slides into her seat right as the bell rang. She makes eye contact with Mr. Fitz but then quickly looks the other way. What was she hiding? Mr. Fitz hesitates, and then starts his lesson on The Great Gatsby. I figure that Hanna just skipped again, nothing to be worried about. I _was_ paying attention, but my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pull it out and check it in my lap. The message horrifies me. It was none other than A.

_You should keep Aria on a short leash. If you don't, I will. –A_

I swallow, and then tap my pencil twice on my desk, a sound we used to get each other's attention in class. Emily looks over in question, but she isn't who I'm trying to talk to, so I shake my head and point to Aria, who just kept listening to the lecture and watching Mr. Fitz. I did a fake cough, and tap my pencil twice on my desk again. Nothing. She just kept staring at him. I casually push my book off my desk and it hit the floor with a bam. Aria's head jerks to face me, but unfortunately so did the rest of the class. I lean over in my seat to pick it up.

"I dropped my book." I state, and Mr. Fitz continued. Aria mouths "what?" I point to my phone and mouth "A" Aria's face turns pale and motions for the phone. I'm sliding the phone across the aisle with my foot to Aria when we hear the mechanical, obviously fake voice of the loudspeaker.

"Aria Montgomery, please report to the main office. Aria Montgomery, to the main office." It bleeps. I pull my phone back to me while Aria clumsily puts her things in her bag and stood up. Mr. Fitz looks concerned and watched her go, but quickly went back to his lesson. Aria was definitely hiding something. I promise myself I will show Aria the message when she got back. I have Emily's attention, so I point to my phone and mouth "A" again.

"For Aria?" She mouthed. I nodded. We were getting pretty good at lip reading.

Aria's POV

I was concerned about Spencer's A text, but quickly became more worried that maybe someone saw Ezra and I together and that's why I was called to the office. I try to calm myself down as I walk through the empty hallways. The hallways are much different when there weren't a hundred other kids hustling to class through them. I see the occasional student, rubbing sleep from their eyes and rushing to class late. I open the door to the main office and look around. There doesn't seem to be anyone here. I walk in further to the desk, and the door shuts behind me. I quickly turn around and see that it shut by itself.

"Is anyone here?" I call out. Something feels wrong. If I was called over here, there has to be someone here. I look around and walk to the other side of the office. I hear papers rustle behind me and jump to face where the noise came from. The thing that you flip on a trash can is swinging back and forth. Before anything else. I pull out my phone as fast as I can and group text Spencer, Hanna, and Emily. I send the text saying S.O.S. Right after I put the phone back in my bag, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when I hear breathing right behind me. I spin around to face A. A shoves a cloth that smells really strange against my nose and mouth with one hand and holds the back of my head with the other. My vision gets blurry before I can identify A, and I drop like a rock to the ground. I try screaming, but I'm using all my energy fighting for consciousness. I suddenly think back to Spencer getting an A text… but everything goes black.

Spencer's POV

It's been over half an hour and Aria hasn't come back to class. I'm supposed to be reading, but all I can think about is the leash I'm supposed to keep Aria on. My phone vibrates, and I pull it into my lap the same time Emily does. It's from Aria.

_S.O.S_

My eyes widen and I look over at Emily, who looks like she is about to bolt out of the classroom. Mr. Fitz sees us with our phones out, which we weren't bothering to hide.

"Are we interrupting you?" he asks in that annoying teacher voice.

"Sorry." Emily and I both mutter. The bell rings, and we literally sprint out of the classroom. Emily pounces on me in the hall.

"What did A text you?" she bombards me. I wordlessly show Emily the A text. Her face turns white. "We have to check the main office!" she tells me. We are about to run in the direction of the office, when I phone vibrates. We stop dead in our tracks. "Is it Aria?" Emily almost shouts. But I can't answer her because I'm in denial. I show her the text and her mouth drops open.

_Your leash was too long. Don't worry, mine can't get any shorter. –A _

It also showed a picture of Aria's tiny hands tied together to a metal bar somewhere.


	2. NOTE

**I'm sorry about the short first chapter! I just need one review to continue, because if I don't get any reviews, I feel like no one's reading. I'm hoping to maybe make this story ten or so chapters, each chapter definitely longer than this one. Again so sorry for the length. Review please! ^_^**


	3. Chapter 2

**I actually wrote this way faster than I thought, so enjoy! **

Aria's POV

I slowly pull myself back into consciousness, and I soon wish I hadn't. My entire body aches and my arms are tied above me. I panic and jerk around, but it only makes my wrists hurt. I look around me and take in my surroundings. My hands are tied above me to a ladder, I'm gagged, and there is a rope around my waist also tied to the ladder. My eyes are burning, because I'm outside. I look to my left and see the edge of the building. I'm on top of a building. I look past the edge and I know the area like the back of my hand. I'm on top of Rosewood High. I can't even remember how I got here, I just remember going to the office when I was called on the loudspeaker. I lean back onto the ladder (which isn't very comfortable, by the way.) and tried to remember. I closed my eyes and tried to mentally retrace my footsteps.

_I was concerned about Spencer's A text, but quickly became more worried that maybe someone saw Ezra and I together and that's why I was called to the office. I try to calm myself down as I walk through the empty hallways._

That sounds about right. I keep retracing but quickly ran into the memory gap. I visualize myself walking into the office about a thousand times before the memory hits me.

_"Is anyone here?" I call out. Something feels wrong. If I was called over here, there has to be someone here. I look around and walk to the other side of the office. I hear papers rustle behind me and jump to face where the noise came from. The thing that you flip on a trash can is swinging back and forth. Before anything else, I pull out my phone as fast as I can and group text Spencer, Hanna, and Emily. I send the text saying S.O.S. Right after I put the phone back in my bag, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when I hear breathing right behind me. I spin around to face A. A shoves a cloth that smells really strange against my nose and mouth with one hand and holds the back of my head with the other. My vision gets blurry before I can identify A, and I drop like a rock to the ground. I try screaming, but I'm using all my energy fighting for consciousness. I suddenly think back to Spencer getting an A text…_

Oh crap! A could be right here on this roof with me, and I'm a sitting duck. I try pulling my hands out of the ropes, but it feels like it just gets tighter. I continue to struggle and ignore the rope burns forming on my wrists until its unbearable and I feel liquid starting to run a couple inches down my arms from my wrists and I sit perfectly still, afraid that if I move, my wrists will bleed more. God, where is paranoid Spencer when you need her? Or Ezra? Ezra. Just the thinking about him cheers me up a little bit. What if I never see him again? What if I die and he never knows what happened to me? My eyes water, but I refuse to cry. I will not give in to A. I won't let he, she, or IT, win.

Emily's POV

Spencer and I run to the main office, crashing into a million people on the way. We burst through the door, expecting to see either Aria or A, or both. But it's completely empty. Not even the lady who is usually at the desk is here.

"Spencer, she's not here." I cry out.

"You think I didn't notice?!" Spencer shouts. I leave it alone because she always gets snappy when we're in a bad situation. At that moment Hanna burst into the room.

"Where's Aria?" Hanna asks desperately.

"We don't know." I tell her. Hanna's face drops to the same level of worry and fear that Spencer and I are on.

"A is a twisted bitch." Hanna remarks. Hanna and Spencer continue to think of places Aria would be when I see something behind one of the desks.

"Is that Aria's?" I ask, pointing to the handbag on the floor.

"Oh my god it is!" Hanna runs over and picks it up. She opens it and pulls out Aria's phone. It had one new message. Hanna hesitates, and then reads it out loud.

"_If you don't find her, she'll die on her own. –A"_ Hanna read. The three of us gasped but shut up when Mr. Fitz walked into the room. He gave us a weird look, and then went to pick up the papers in his teacher mail box. We watched him read the paper on top and see him freeze in place.

"Mr. Fitz?" I try to snap him out of it. He looks like he's about to cry. He looks up at me and the girls and asks one question that practically blows our heads off.

"Who's A?"

Aria's POV

The sun hasn't gone down yet, and I wish it would. It's so hot I feel like I'm melting. I'm sweating out any liquid I have and I'm extremely thirsty. I swallow to try and wet my dry throat, but there's nothing to swallow. I'm so dehydrated. I take a deep breath and try to relax, someone will find me. I'm right on top the roof, Spencer should be here any second. I can see that my legs are already beginning to burn, and the ground underneath me is so hot. I cough with the gag in the way, and it's dry and painful. My vision gets really fuzzy, and I don't even have the energy to shout for help. My head droops and I let myself fall asleep. Well, it's not really sleeping, but anything is better than being awake right now.

Ezra's POV

The girls stare at me in horror when I ask them who A is.

"What do you know about A?!" They all ask at the same time. I give the letter in my mailbox to Spencer and she reads it out loud.

"_Ezra, you really should keep your girlfriends on a short leash, they could wander off and never been seen again… Ask Spencer, Hanna, and Emily what happened to your little high school pet... –A_" Spencer read.

"GIRLFRIEND?" Hanna questioned. Oops. I kind of forgot that they didn't know. All three girls looked at me waiting for explanation. I sighed.

"I'm dating Aria." I told them. All three of their jaws dropped. Is it really THAT horrible that I'm dating Aria?

"I knew it." Spencer muttered. The three girls just stared at me, but all I could think about was Aria. I was seeing horrific images of what could be happened to my sweet Aria.

"Can we please just focus on the fact that Aria is gone?!" I shout. They snap out of it and Spencer reads the letter to herself again.

"Who is this A person? All I know is what Aria told me." I tell them.

"What did Aria tell you?" Emily asks.

"She said A was someone trying to…. Mess with her?" I recall from that night at my apartment.

"I don't think stalking and death threats are on the messing with someone level." Hanna blurts out.

"Wait, DEATH THREATS?" Why didn't she tell me? We are supposed to tell each other everything. I could have protected her if only I had known! I wonder what I did to make her not be able to trust me with this…. Emily practically read my mind.

"She was just trying to protect you." She tells me, and the rest of the girls agree with her.

"I'm not the one that needs protecting!" I argue. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial 9-1-…

"DON'T!" all the girls scream at me. I freeze and Hanna takes my phone right out of my hands.

"We have to call the police! Aria is MISSING" I shout.

"With A, when the police are in the picture, a body bag could be involved." Hanna remarks. Cold sweat forms on the back of my neck. My phone beeps in Hanna's hands. I reach for it, but she reads it herself. She puts her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my god." She says. My phone is passed around and each girl has the same reaction. Spencer hands me the phone and I look at the picture message. It's a bloody knife laying on steps somewhere. My eyes swim with tears, and the throw the phone across the room and it smashes into a wall. The girls jump and I put my hands over my face and just cry. Aria could be dead. Spencer rushes over to my phone and her eyes light up.

"The stairs have the same tiles as here!" she says. I look at the picture again and notice it too.

"That knife is on steps somewhere here!" Emily shouts.

"What if Aria is here too..?" I suggest. The girls' eyes flicker with a little hope and we all run out of the office.

**Well that's chapter two! I left a bit of a cliffhanger, and I'll try and update tomorrow or the next day, so please review!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews guys! This is my first writing I've ever let anyone read so I'm glad you all like it! I got lots of reviews asking me to update quickly, so here you go! Keep reading and reviewing! -sototallyrandom**

Spencer's POV

Emily, Hanna, Mr. Fitz and I all rush to the stairs that lead to the second floor. Everyone is in their last class of the day, so the halls are empty. I make it to the steps first, and stop in my tracks, causing everyone to nearly crash into me. There is a little red puddle surrounding the knife halfway up the stairs. We all walk wordlessly up to it, and I am shaking. I feel like I want to throw up. _This is Aria's blood._ I think. Everyone with me looks sick to their stomach and we were all silently shedding tears. There are a couple drops of blood leading up the stairs, and I'm afraid to follow them.

"Guys, wait a sec." Hanna said. She ran her finger through the blood and then put her finger to her tongue.

"Hanna what the heck?!.." Emily began.

"This is fake!" Hanna announced.

"What?" we all questioned hopefully.

"This isn't Aria's blood! It's corn syrup and food coloring!" Hanna shouts excitedly.

"Thank god!" Mr. Fitz shouted. Everyone's smiling, Aria still has a chance. This is not her blood, she wasn't stabbed. Emily's phone beeps, and we all flinch. She checks it, and an expression showing hate yet hope appears on her face.

_Getting closer to your pet… -A_

Somehow this cheered us all up, even if only a little bit. I still think there is something odd about it. An A text that only made us happy? I didn't know there was such at thing, so I don't trust it quite yet.

"Guys, we should follow this 'blood'" I use air quotations with my fingers and walk up the steps to the second floor. Everyone follows my lead. We get to the top of the stairs when the bell rings and students pour out of every classroom to get out of school. Amazingly, no one notices the knife or the fake blood. After the hallways are clear, all of our phones beep at the same time. We check them, and at the same time, Hanna, Emily, Mr. Fitz and I read

_"If it helps, she is somewhere outside. –A" _Mr. Fitz practically pushes Hanna over the get down the stairs and outside.

"She has to be somewhere near the school!" He shouts over his shoulder. "We can split up and find her faster!" he suggests.

Aria's POV

I groan when I realize I'm awake again. More torture until I pass out. The sun is STILL up. I can feel the sunburns on every part of my arms, legs, and face. Moving in any way burns like hell. I have no option but to sit still, silent, waiting. I didn't think it was possible, but I felt even drier. I wasn't even sweating anymore. I'm so dizzy, it feels relatively like I'm on a merry-go-round. Please let someone find me soon. Come on Spence. Hanna. Emily. Hell the person I want most is Ezra. I want his arms around me, protecting me from anything and everything. He's the one person I can always count on more than anyone else. I have no idea why I haven't been found yet. _I'M RIGHT HERE!_ I wanted to scream, but all I could do was cough into my gag, and my throat burned so horribly. I can't stand sitting here another second, I can feel myself burning. I try to wiggle my hands out of the ropes again. It was a mistake. A burning, fiery, unnerving, hellish pain enveloped my wrists. I cried out soundlessly and stopped moving. Please let someone find me soon. I'm to a point where I have to fight for consciousness, but I'm hurting so bad, I let go and fall into the darkness.

Ezra's POV

I'm hoping to god that this A character isn't lying about Aria being outside. We have to find her soon. My heart aches when I think about her. I just want to hold her in my arms and keep her from anything that could hurt her. As it turns out, there is a forest near Rosewood High, and I enter through a few trees to look for Aria.

Spencer's POV

Hanna, Emily, and I didn't split up because we couldn't go into the woods alone when we knew A could be in there. The three of us walked into the woods practically clinging to each other. The leaves rustle above us, and twigs snap beneath us.

"It's going to be dark soon, we should probably head back so we don't get lost." Emily points out. She's right, it is getting darker by the minute, but I don't want to leave Aria somewhere overnight. A twig snaps behind us and Hanna screams.

"SHHH!" I whisper-yell at her. We stand stock still and hear another twig snap. We all scream and jump out of our socks. Mr. Fitz appears through the trees and we all sigh in relief. Now it's sunset, we don't have long to find her. We all receive a text and jump out of our socks. Mr. Fitz reads it out loud.

"_You're getting colder… -A_" He swallows lets a frustrated tear escape his eye and run down his cheek.

"I DON'T WANT TO PLAY THIS GAME!" I shout into the woods, hoping A hears. Obviously, I get no response.

"Guys, why don't we play this by our own rules?" Hanna suggests.

"A could hurt Aria." Emily answers.

"Well she's going to die with these rules!" Mr. Fitz adds to the argument.

"I agree with Hanna and Fitz." I say.

"Are you NUTS?" Emily asks.

"I don't think A would kill Aria, because then A can't play this little 'game'." I reason. My phone rings, and I answer it.

"Hello, Spencer? Is Aria with you? She never came home." Ella says in a worried voice. I make a last minute decision and answer

"No, she's missing. We can't find her." I hear silence on the other end of the line for what seems like forever, and then she says

"You and the girls stay at your house tonight, I'm calling the police."

"Alright. I hope they find her." I mutter into the phone before she hangs up.

"SPENCER!" Emily complains.

"What?! I'm not telling the police, Ella is!" I argue.

"That won't matter to A!" Emily argued back.

"Emily, I think we should leave this to the police." Mr. Fitz says.

Aria's POV

I wake up for only a short period of time, and every second of it is hell. I try to cry and scream, but it just makes be cough more painfully. My wrists are constantly burning, the sunburns are on every part of me that's showing, the ground underneath me feels like a frying pan, and the rope around my waist is digging in. I try to shout one more time and everything goes black.

* * *

Hanna's POV

Spencer and Emily wake me up, and I groan,

"We're late for school!" Spencer yells.

"We're going to school?" I question.

"We're going to school, just not attending classes." Emily says. I quickly jump up and get ready. Within ten minutes we are in Spencer's car driving to Rosewood High. The drive there is silent. Spencer parks and we all get out. We walk towards the front of the building.

Aria's POV

I'm conscious again, and I feel like I'm burning alive. I almost let myself slip away when I see Hanna, Emily, and Spencer walking up to the building. I start screaming and shouting like a maniac, and I jerk against the ropes, only making things worse. The pain almost knocks me out, but I have to get their attention. I shake the beanie off my head, and somehow manage to get it to my foot. With my foot I throw it off the edge of the building. I don't get to see if it worked, because I pass out.

Spencer's POV

We're walking towards the building when I see something falling.

"Oh my god it's Aria's beanie!" I shout. Hanna and Emily look and see the fallen object.

"SHE'S ON THE ROOF!" I yell. I text Mr. Fitz and we run into the building to get to the roof.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! So I got several reviews asking me to hurry up with my next chapter, so I wrote this as quickly as I could! Happy reading! -sototallyrandom**

Spencer's POV

I am running through the school as fast as I possibly can and all I can think about is Aria. Aria. Aria. I think I am way ahead of Hanna and Emily, but I don't care. I crash into a kid at his locker and knock him over without even stopping. I trip on the steps to the second floor but scramble up and keep running. I'm almost to the stairs leading to the roof. I hear Emily and Hanna's footsteps behind me, they aren't too far behind. I get to the top of the steps and crash into the door opening out onto the roof. I turn the knob over and over but it won't budge.

"IT'S LOCKED!" I shout back at the girls. Hanna grabs a fire extinguisher and swings it against the lock. The door bursts open and I run out onto the roof and look around.

"Over there!" Emily shouts and points to Aria's body, tied to a ladder. We all run over and kneel beside her.

"OH MY GOD! Aria, wake up!" I yell as I try to untie her hands. We all three gasp when we realize the condition she is in. There is blood running down her forearms from her wrists, she is completely sunburned, and she won't wake up. Emily checks for a pulse while Hanna tries to untie the ropes around her waist.

"Aria, come on, wake up!" Hanna yells at her.

"She's alive!" Emily tells us. I finally free Aria's hands and bring them down to her sides. I then help Hanna untie the other ropes. We finally untie the knot as Mr. Fitz gets to the roof. He runs over and gasps.

"Is she… alive?" he stutters. Tears are running down his face, and he isn't trying to hide them.

"Yeah just call an ambulance!" Emily orders him. Mr. Fitz cradles the upper half of Aria in his lap and holds his phone up to his ear. We all see his face turn pale and he starts shaking.

"What?" Hanna asks.

"Someone vandalized all the ready ambulances! They're all wrecked! And I have a pretty good idea who it was!" He says with venom in his voice.

"Mr. Fitz you have to drive us there!" I order. He nods and lifts Aria as carefully as he can and we walk as fast as possible down the steps to get to the parking lot. Everyone stares in horror when we walk by them with Aria's damaged body. We finally make it to the car.

"You three get in the back, and hold Aria." He tells us. I was always told not to get in a random adult's car, but this was already way worse than stranger danger. We all slid into his car, and Mr. Fitz helps us pull Aria into the car. She's lying across all three of our laps, her head in mine, her feet on Hanna's. Her limpness scares me. He slams the door and runs around the car to the driver's seat. He slides in, slams the door, and starts the engine. We pull out of the parking lot and drive to the hospital. Her face is almost as red as a tomato, and her lips are cracked and bleeding. Emily finds some water bottles under a seat and hands them to me.

"Emily, help me give her the water." I give one of the water bottles back to Emily and I lift Aria's head and shoulders. Emily tries to get her to drink it, but she won't wake up, so it won't work. Mr. Fitz keeps turning his head and asking if she's breathing. Emily drips some water on Aria's face, but she doesn't wake up.

"You mind getting wet?" Emily asks me.

"Of course I don't mind getting wet!" I answer. Emily starts to pour the whole bottle over Aria's face. Aria coughs and takes a deep breath, and Emily stops dumping water on her face.

"Aria!" all four of us in the car shout at once. She coughs again and takes a deep breath. Her eyes are halfway open, and she seems hardly conscious.

"Emily, give her water!" Hanna tells her. Emily holds the water bottle up to Aria's lips and pours some of it in her mouth. Aria swallows, and then coughs some of it back up.

"Hey, it's ok, just breathe." I say, as I put my palm on her forehead.

"She's burning up." I state.

"Of course she is! She was dried out in the sun for two days!" Hanna snaps. Mr. Fitz doesn't say a word, he just reaches his right hand back and takes Aria's in his. She flinches in pain, and he loosens his grip.

"I'm going to try to rinse off her arms." Emily says. She drips some water onto the gashes that formed on her wrists. She whimpers and pulls her arms close to her.

"Aria, it's ok." Emily says.

"No, just leave it, the water is hurting her rope burns." I tell her. Aria's eyes are starting to close.

"Come on, stay with us! Please Aria, don't close your eyes." I plead. We pull into the hospital parking lot and park. Mr. Fitz leans into the back and looks her in the eye.

"Aria, stay with me." He begs.

"Ez…ra.." She whispers in a raspy voice.

"Yeah, it's me. Just try and stay awake honey." He comforts her. She nods slightly, and Mr. Fitz jumps out of the driver's seat and opens the door beside me. He slides his arms under Aria and lifts her up. We all get out of the car and run into the hospital. Aria's eyes close and she goes limp. We are all leaking tears and the reception lady at the desk puts a hand to her mouth when we walk in. From there all sound turns to white noise in my head. Someone takes Aria from Mr. Fitz and lays her on a rolling bed. The male nurses have to physically keep him away from her as they take her through a hall.

Ezra's POV

After a nerve-wracking hour of waiting in the lobby, a nurse comes to the girls and I.

"Is she ok?" I blurt out, before she has time to say anything.

"She's fine. She is extremely dehydrated, and severely burned, but she didn't get skin cancer or anything permanent. We had to give her a few stitches on her wrists, but she'll be just fine. She hasn't woken up yet, and is allowed one visitor at a time until she wakes up. Are any of you her family?" _oops._ We never called Ella or Byron. I think it would be best to call them and tell them she was found after I leave, so they never know I was here. The girls and I agree that I should go in first because I have to get out of here before her parents know she was found.

Aria's POV

I realize I'm awake, but my eyes are still closed. I will NOT wake up to that burning hellhole agian, so I try to go back to being unconscious, but I hear my name.

"Aria?" It's Ezra.

"EZRA!" I instantly sit up and flash my eyes open and I yelp in pain.

"Shhh, just don't move." He guides me back to laying down and I flinch. My whole body aches and burns. I giggle.

"You saved me." I thank him. He nods.

"It was mostly Spencer." He says, bashful. I laugh at the image in my head of Spencer ordering Ezra around. He puts his hand on top of mine, which I noticed is bandaged. I knew those ropes did some damage. Even that simple gesture hurt, but I pretended it didn't for Ezra's sake.

"You want some water?" He asks me.

"That sounds like HEAVEN." I respond. He chuckles and grabs a glass of water from the table beside my bed. He uses his right hand to lift my head slightly and uses the left to put the glass up to my lips. It feels amazing, the water running down my dried out throat. It's empty too soon. He leans over and gently kisses me on the lips.

"Oww." I laugh.

"I am SO sorry!" he apologizes. I laugh.

"It's fine Ezra." He puts his hand on my hair and his eyes are full of love. I smile, and say

"I love you."

"I love you more." He tells me. His phone beeps and he checks it.

"Who's that?" I ask.

"Spencer. Your parents are coming, I gotta run."

"The girls know?"

"Well, yeah, I helped them find you."

"Oh. Right." I giggle and he stands up.

"I'll come back later." He says.

"I can't wait." I tell him. He walks out of my room.

* * *

Aria's POV

After an hour of my parents gushing over me, they finally leave and the girls come in.

"You're ok!" Hanna says excitedly. All three of them come over to the side of my bed.

"I still have your phone." Hanna says as she holds it out to me.

"Han, I'm not supposed to move." I say.

"Right." She says and puts my phone on the table.

"Does it hurt?" Emily asks.

"Like hell." I answer with a laugh.

"How are you so happy right now?" Spencer asks.

"Because, my favorite people in the world just saved me from a hellhole with A. I think I can be happy." I answer. All three of them smile.

"Is there anything we can get for you?" Hanna asks.

"Another water?"

"Yeah, be right back." She leaves the room to get another water.

"Did you see A?" Spencer asks.

"I saw A, but I couldn't tell who it was." I answered. All the trauma of the past two days finally catches up with me, and I can't help it, a tear runs down my face, and it burns.

"Aria, what hurts?" Spencer asks, concerned.

"Everything." I say and start crying. My face burns as the tears run down them and it makes me cry even more.

"Emily, get a nurse." Spencer says. The last thing I see is someone dressed in all white slipping a needle into my arm. Everything becomes peaceful and calm as I drift off. I feel like I might finally be ok.

**Well that's chapter four! Review and let me know what you think! I update extremely fast, so keep your eyes open for chapter five!**

**-sototallyrandom**


	6. Chapter 5 - RemAtch

**Hi again! I have some good news for you guys. I was originally planning to start wrapping up the story here, because Aria is already rescued, but the majority of my reviews were asking me to keep going, so I thought about it, and I came up with more. Happy reading! -sototallyrandom**

Spencer's POV

The others have gone home, I'm the only one still waiting in the lobby. I can't visit Aria again until she wakes up. I'm kind of worried that she'll freak out again. A nurse approaches me.

"You can go visit her now." She tells me. I nod, thank her, and stand up to walk to Aria's room.

Aria's POV

I've just woken up when Spencer pushes open the door. She's really tense, and she is approaching me like if she steps on the wrong tile the room will explode.

"Hey Spencer." I greet her. She instantly relaxes and pulls a chair up beside my bed.

"I'll stay here as long as you don't freak out on me again." She laughs a bit when she says this. What is she talking about?

"Um, what do you mean, Spence?" I ask her.

"You don't even remember?" she answers my question with a question.

"I remember you and the girls visiting me, and I think I must have fallen asleep." I tell her.

"Oh. It's probably best that you forgot anyway." She mutters. I shrug it off.

"I really don't want to lie down anymore." I complain. "I just want to go home.."

"Well, you can't get up, but I can do this." I use the controls on her bed to move it to almost an upright sitting position. "I could squish you between the bed like Tom and Jerry." She tells me. I laugh and say

"Spencer, you're such a dork." She laughs, and everything feels great. Sitting here, talking to my best friend, I almost forget that I'm in a hospital. Spencer's phone rings, and we both flinch. Even flinching hurts. Wow. She answered it and her face just seemed sad. She says

"Yeah, I'll tell her." And then hangs up. She looks at me with sad eyes.

"What?" I question.

Spencer's POV

"That was your mom. Your parents have to go out of town for a few days on some business thing, and Mike is staying at a friend's house while they're gone." I tell her. Poor Aria. She'll get out of the hospital and go home alone. Mike didn't even come see her! Jerk.

"I am NOT staying at my house alone." I demand.

"You can stay with me. My parents are out of town _again_ and Melissa is with them." I offer.

"Thanks Spence."

"Anytime."

"I wish that anytime could_ right_ now." She complains again.

"I know." I say. "You'll get better fast." I tell her.

"Will I? Because I've been here for a day and I still can't move." I don't mind that she's snappy, she's kind of entitled to it. A nurse walks in.

"Visiting hours are over. You have to go now." She tells me. Crap.

"Come back tomorrow?" She begs.

"Of course." I smile.

"And bring Ezra."

Aria's POV

I'm supposed to be sleeping, but I can't. It's too creepy in here. The window is cracked open and it's getting kind of cold, and I can't get up to shut it. I hear something out the window. My heartbeat speeds up and I start hyperventilating. I try to calm myself down. _Take deep breaths, it's just the wind._ I tell myself. I start shaking and it's painful. I hear something outside my room and I can't control myself. All I can think is that A is here._ A. A. A. A. A_. I can't get myself to calm down. My door starts to open. I close my eyes tight and scream with all I've got. I feel a needle slip into my arm, and I drift off.

* * *

Ezra's POV

Spencer texted me to meet her at the hospital with the girls, so here I am. We walk up to the desk in the lobby to sign in.

"We're signing in to visit Aria Montgomery." I say.

"I don't think she is allowed visitors. She had another panic attack last night." The lady says.

"Can you check?" I ask. She types on her computer for a few seconds then looks back up at us.

"She's allowed visitors." She says. I turn to the girls.

"Can I go in alone? I bet I can get her not to be afraid." The girls nod and I walk down the hall. I open the door to Aria's room and walk in. She jumps, then groans.

"Hey, it's ok." I comfort her as I sit down in the chair beside her bed. "You're alright." I comb my fingers through her hair, and she relaxes.

"I kept thinking A was here." She says. "But I feel safe with you." She tells me. I smile.

"I won't let anyone ever hurt you again." I insure. The fear leaks out of her eyes and is replaced with happiness. She is instantly back in the cheerful mood she was in the first time I visited.

"I am SO starving." She states. I laugh. I grab the pudding cup and spoon from the table next to her. I put a spoonful in her mouth, and she swallows it.

"I feel like an idiot." She says. She laughs and I stick the spoon in her mouth again.

* * *

After visiting hours:

Emily's POV

"I think Mr. Fitz really is good for her." I say. The girls laugh. "I'm serious!" I say. "She didn't even freak out this time!" I point out.

"True." Spencer says, stifling a laugh.

A's POV

A is furious that Aria beat him at his little hide-and-find game. He paces in the A lair, and comes up with an idea. A rematch. He won't even have to tie her up this time, she can't move anyway. He chuckles to himself at the thought of her just sitting there in his next hiding spot.

%&$*()_&)*_%&$*()#%&_

The window to Aria's room in the hospital is cracked open and on the first floor. The idiots. A slides it open and crawls in. Aria screams. She cries out when she grabs her phone. She passes out in her own pain. A laughs at her and throws her tiny body over his shoulder. He is out the window just in time for the nurse that rushes in to not see him. He wants to see the Liars' reactions when they find her missing, so he drops Aria to the ground and spies through the window.

Emily's POV

The three of us are almost asleep at my house when all of our phones beep at the same time. Is it A? We check our phones and gasp. It's from Aria.

_S.O.S_

"Oh my god guys get up!" Spencer jumps up and we all run outside to my car in our pajamas.

"Someone text Fitz!" I say while driving. Hanna and Spencer both text him.

Spencer's POV

We meet Mr. Fitz in the parking lot and run into the building. We run in the direction of Aria's room, ignoring the desk operator telling us to stop. We burst into the room and I gasp. The room is silent as we try to comprehend. Aria's phone is on her bed, but she isn't. We all get a text at the same time, even Mr. Fitz. Tears start running down our cheeks. Mr. Fitz throws his phone at the wall and it smashes to little pieces. I read the A text out loud.

"Rematch_. –A_"

**Hope you guys liked it! Please review or PM me, it really does make my day. :) -sototallyrandom**


	7. Chapter 6

**I wrote this chapter especially fast, so enjoy!**

Aria's POV

I jerk into full awareness, and moving is way too painful. There is a gag in my mouth again, and I try to reach up to take it off, put my hands are tied to my sides and the ropes rub against my wrists, which are somehow no longer bandaged. I start sobbing and the tears still burn on my face. This HAS to be a nightmare. _Come on, wake up!_ I mentally yell at myself. I lie perfectly still on the ground so I don't hurt anything. This CANNOT be happening AGAIN.

Ezra's POV

I'm sitting on the hospital bed with my head in my hands and Emily puts her hand on my shoulder.

"We'll find her, Mr. Fitz" She comforts me, but it doesn't comfort me at all, because she's crying too, along with everyone else in the room.

"A has never been this cruel." Spencer mutters. "I guess we have to play A's game."

"Or we could call the cops." Emily suggests.

"Look how well that turned out for Ali." Hanna remarked.

"Don't say that." I say.

"Let's all go to my house and figure out what to do." Spencer says. We all agree and head to her house to try and figure out where Aria might be.

* * *

Aria's POV

I wake up, and I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep. There is some light, There is a window up near the ceiling with some light coming through the shades. I must be in a basement if the window is so high up. I look around, and there is a door in the far corner, and there is a knife on a table beside the door. I get nervous thinking about what that might be for. I try to sit up, and I can actually do it. Overnight I guess it healed some. It still burns horribly, but now it's not unbearable. A light bulb turns on in my head. A thinks I can't move, so that door is probably unlocked. I stand up shakily for the first time in three days and wince. I walk carefully over to the table and take the knife in my hand. I move my hand and wrist into an awkward position and begin to cut the ropes. My wrist stings really bad, but I have to get the ropes off. Each time I cut part of the rope, it gets easier. I finally cut all the ropes off, and slip the knife in between my belt and my jeans. I cross my fingers and turn the knob on the door. It clicks open. Yes! I cautiously walk up the steps to ground level. No one seems to be home, so I bolt out the front door while I have the chance. I look around, and I have no idea where I am, but it's not Rosewood, because I see a high school and it's not Rosewood High. I walk around the town for half an hour, and I get really sore and I can feel my skin burning. I suddenly walk onto a street I recognize. I've been here with Holden. I'm in Philadelphia. Great. I run up to a pay phone and realize that I don't have any money. I decide to walk around until I find a quarter and call Ezra. After a half an hour of walking, I feel like I can't go much further. I have found two dimes and a nickel, but I can't remember if the pay phone is quarters only or not. I'm going back to the pay phone to check. After another half hour of walking, I collapse back in front of the pay phone. Thank god it takes more than quarters. I slip the coins into the machine and dial Ezra's familiar number. I lean against the machine for support, because I can barely stand. It goes straight to voicemail. Dammit. This is all the change I have. The phone beeps for me to leave a message.

"Ezra… It's Aria. I need you. I really need you." I start sobbing. "A k-kidnapped me a-again." I stutter through in between sobs. "I.. I th-think I'm at.." the phone beeps. My time is up. "Dammit!" I shout. I collapse to the ground and put my head in my hands. People stare as they walk by, but I don't care. I just want to go home. I decide to walk home myself. I could get there in a day or two, and it's better than sticking around here. A is bound to be looking for me by now. I stand up and start to clumsily walk. My shirt catches on the phone, and I tug until a few inches of it rips off. "What the hell." I mutter. I just leave it there and walk away.

Ezra's POV

The girls and I are driving around Rosewood, calling Aria's name, because we didn't think of any leads to where she might be.

"Can we stop by Verizon so I can get a new phone?" I ask the girls. I hold up the chip from my old phone, so I can still get the same phone number, messages, photos, and stuff. They all nod, and go back to calling Aria out the windows of the car. The girl's phones all beep at the same time. Hanna reads it out loud.

"_It looks like you're looking for a dog… You should have kept her on a leash. –A_" Hanna reads. I slam my fist on the dashboard and my hand throbs.

"That BITCH!" I shout. We pull into the Verizon parking lot and get out to get my new phone.

Aria's POV

I've been walking for over a half an hour, and it's getting dark. I'm walking beside the road, and I've obviously left Philadelphia because there are trees and forests on both sides of the road. I need to take a break for a while, so I sit beside the shoulder of the road. My wrists start to sting again, and I think the stitches might be tearing out, because they are bleeding. I need to bandage them. I look around, but I'm already kind of in the middle of nowhere, and I don't want to walk half an hour back to A. I get an idea, and pull the knife out of my belt. No, I'm not cutting the stitches out. That would be stupid. I cut the calves off of my jeans and use them as bandages. Of course, it has to start raining. I stand up and keep walking. I hug myself to try and stay warm as I walk. It's already gotten really dark, and I don't want to stop in the middle of nowhere for the night. A semi drives by really fast and it sprays mud all over me. _Seriously?!_ I thought that only happened in really cliché movies! I continue walking, freezing cold, soaking wet, and muddy.

Ezra's POV 

We all get back into the car, and I look at the screen of the new phone and I frown.

"I have one new voicemail from earlier today." I tell the girls.

"Who was it?" Hanna asks.

"I don't know, it's a random number." I answer. I put it on speaker phone and play it for us all to hear.

"Ezra… It's Aria." My heart breaks.

"Holy shit." Emily says.

"I need you. I really need you…." The message continues. My heart feels like it's getting ripped up and tears start to roll down my cheeks.

"A k-kidnapped me a-again… I.. I th-think I'm at.." and the phone beeps.

"Shit!" Hanna shouts. I don't say anything. Her message broke my heart. _I need you. I really need you…._ I should have been there to protect her, no matter what the nurses said about visiting hours.

"Don't delete it!" Spencer shouts. I give her a questioning look. "She had to have used a pay phone! We can look up the pay phone number online and find out where the phone she used is!" Spencer says. "Quick, drive us back to your apartment Mr. Fitz." I immediately start the engine pull out of the parking lot. It's getting really dark, and it's started raining.

Aria's POV

It's completely dark now. The only light is from the street lamps every eighth of a mile or so. I'm so cold. I start shaking. I put my hand on the back of my neck and it's really warm. _Do I have a fever? _I keep my hand there because it's so warm. I cough a few times and keep walking. I hear a noise behind me, so I grab my knife and turn around. I see A standing there. The black hoodie, the gloves… It's A. And he has a gun. I get myself in a position to stab him, but when I blink he disappears. Like, magic trick disappears. Poof! Just like that. I stand there ready to stab someone for ten minutes before it dawns on me. A isn't here. Great, now I'm hallucinating. I decide it's finally time for me to stop for the night. I walk over and lie down under a tree on the grass. I am so exhausted I quickly fall asleep.

Spencer's POV

I'm searching for the number on Ezra's phone everywhere, and Hanna, Emily, and Mr. Fitz are standing right behind me.

"I found it!" I say excitedly. Everyone instantly leans over me and I fall out of the desk chair. "Seriously?" I say and get up.

"She's in Philadelphia?" Mr. Fitz asks. I look at the screen.

"Apparently." I say. The girls are jumping up and down excitedly.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go get her!" Hanna shouts.

* * *

Ezra's POV

I'm driving, and we are about three miles from Philadelphia.

"We're almost there." I say to the girls in the back. Spencer is sitting in the passenger seat and her head is leaning on the window.

"I think I saw something beside the road!" Spencer shouts out. I thought she was asleep.

"It's dark, you probably imagined it. We don't have any time to stop, Aria might still be near the phone, and we have to get there fast." I tell her. She nods and slumps into her seat.

Aria's POV 

I'm woken up when someone drives by really fast and the car sprays me with water. I only saw the car for a second, but it looked like Ezra's. I've been hallucinating, so I bet it wasn't. I shrug it off and fall back asleep.

**Oh, the irony. xD Poor Aria, though. Review please! Let me know what you think will happen. :P If I use your idea, I will give you credit ;) -sototallyrandom**


	8. Chapter 7

**Here's the next chapter! There's a little more Ezria in this chapter than normal, so enjoy, Ezria fans! :P Thanks to the user ****4 Ezria**** for some of the plot ideas in this chapter! Happy reading! -sototallyrandom**

Spencer's POV

Mr. Fitz slows down and parks on the side of the road. We all pile out of the car.

"Over there." Mr. Fitz says and points to a payphone. We cross the street and quickly walk over to the phone. It's one in the morning, and it's really dark, so the phone is relatively hard to see.

"ARIA?" I call out. No answer.

"Aria are you here?!" Hanna shouts. No response. We continue to stand here and get rained on. We're the only ones out here, and our calls echo back to us.

"Guys look!" Emily pulls a piece of cloth off of the pay phone and holds it out to us.

"That's the color she was wearing last time I saw her in the hospital!" Mr. Fitz says.

"She was defiantly here." I say.

"But where did she go?" Emily asks.

"Maybe we should get back in the car and drive around to look for her." Mr. Fitz suggests. After an hour of driving around calling her, we are all extremely tired, we're drenched, and it's two in the morning. All of our phones beep and I read the A text out loud.

"_Still looking for her? Me too. Let's see who finds her first. –A_" I read.

"She must have gotten away from A!" Ezra says cheerfully.

"If I know Aria, and she got away from A, she would get the hell out of town." Hanna says. That's a really good point.

"Remember when I thought I saw that thing by the tree?" I ask.

"Yeah.." Emily says.

"What if it was Aria?" I say. Mr. Fitz's face looks guilty.

"What if I passed her?" Mr. Fitz says guiltily.

"We have to go back there before A!" I say. Mr. Fitz hits the gas pedal and takes a u-turn.

A's POV

_That bitch chose a horrible time to start moving._ A thought. A has to find her before the liars do, or it's game over and he loses again. If he messes up Mona will kill him, then Redcoat will bring him back and kill him again. He's driving along the road out of Philadelphia in a stolen car. He sees a little lump in a ditch. He stops the car in the middle of the road and gets out, but he leaves the car running so he can grab her and run. He's walking across the street when headlights shine on him. He covers his face with his arm.

Spencer's POV

We're driving and I see a stopped  
car. I look over to the side of the road.

"There!" I yell, and point to something in a ditch under a tree.

"A'S IN THE ROAD!" Hanna shouts a second too late. His body rolls up the windshield and over the car and Mr. Fitz hits the brakes. We all stumble out of the car and see A limping into the car and driving away. I turn my head, and see that the thing in the ditch is a person.

"Aria!" we all call out at the same time and run over to her. I kneel down in the mud with the others around Aria's body.

"Aria, wake up!" Mr. Fitz shouts in the rain. Her eyelids flutter open.

"Aria!" we all gasp.

Aria's POV

I wake up and see Spencer, Ezra, Hanna, and Emily's faces above me. I think I'm having another hallucination until Ezra leans over and kisses me. THAT was real.

"You guys found me." I smile.

"Guys she's burning up." Ezra says and places his hand on my cheek. Spencer puts the back of her hand on my forehead.

"He's right." Spencer says.

"Can we go home?" I ask, somewhat delusional.

"Should we take her to the hospital in Philadelphia? It's way closer." Emily says.

"I don't want to go to the hospital." I mumble. "I want to go to Ezra's apartment." I am so tired. I start to close my eyes, but Hanna shakes my shoulders.

"Hey! Be careful!" Ezra tells her.

"Stay awake Aria." Emily tells me. I try my best, but my eyelids are getting heavier with every passing second.

"No, it's ok, let her sleep. She's not in danger of dying this time." Ezra says. "Let's just bring her to my apartment." I drift off into the peaceful darkness of sleep.

Emily's POV

Mr. Fitz lifts up Aria and carries her to the car as we follow. Spencer gets in the front, and Hanna and I sit in the back. Mr. Fitz puts Aria in the car between us, and she leans against my shoulder. Mr. Fitz slides into the front seat. We all start to calm down. Aria's ok. Spencer tosses a towel into the back from the front.

"I found this up here." Spencer says.

"What don't you have in this car Fitz?" Hanna asks him.

"Can you guys call me Ezra when we're not in school? It's weird being called Mr. Fitz all day." He asks.

"Um, sure, **Ezra**." I say with a laugh. Even though I'm soaking wet, I think it makes more sense to use the towel for Aria. I wipe all of the mud off of her face and try to dry some of her hair. Then I shift her off of me a little so I can wrap the towel around her. I let her fall over onto my shoulder again, because her fever is keeping me extremely warm.

* * *

Spencer's POV

We get to Ezra's apartment, and he carries her up the stairs. We all enter his apartment. I walk over to the bed and move the sheets over. Ezra lays Aria down on the bed, and I throw the sheets back over her. We sit around quietly for about twenty minutes, but she stays asleep, so Ezra says

"You guys can go, I'll let you know if anything changes."

"yeah, ok." I say. The girls follow me out the door.

**Here comes Ezria :P :P :P :P :P **

Ezra's POV

Aria shifts in her sleep, and I become disappointed that she didn't wake up. I instantly feel guilty, because after everything she's gone through, she deserves a good long sleep. I'm freezing cold and still wet. I crawl into the bed with her and wrap my arms around her. She's so warm, and I'm so glad she came home with a fever instead of crippling burns again. I run my fingers through her tangled hair. Soon I fall asleep next to her.

* * *

Ezra's POV

I wake up, and drowsily look at the clock. It's nine AM. I sit up, and rub the sleep from my eyes. All I can do is sit here and watch Aria sleep while keeping her hand closed in mine. She starts to mumble softly in her sleep, and then she starts crying quietly.

"Aria, it's ok." I whisper. She stops crying and opens her eyes. She looks around, confused, then looks into my eyes.

"I love you Ezra." She says.

"I love you too." I say, tears forming in the corners of my eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asks, confused.

"Nothing." I smile. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I feel like crap." She says with a giggle.

Aria's POV

I do feel like crap, but a stinging in my wrists is making it a whole lot worse. A few tears run down my cheeks.

"Are you ok?" Ezra asks with concern. I shake my head and pull my hands out from under the covers and Ezra gasps. "Let me see that." He tells me. He starts to unwrap my wrists and I wince. He freezes, then after a second pulls the bloody scraps of jeans off. His eyes widen, and so do mine. Apparently I was right. The stitches were almost completely ripped out.

"Ouch." I say.

"We should get you to the hospital." Ezra says, not peeling his eyes off of my arm. I groan and try to get up off the bed. I'm weak and I just fall to my knees.

"Are you ok?!" Ezra asks. He gets down on the ground and helps me get up. I try to take a step and just fall into his arms.

"I'm just really dizzy." I say, and I put my fingers on my temples. He lifts me up and carries me out the door.

"Everything's going to be fine." He says.

Ezra's POV

I'm really scared that Aria's wrists are infected or something. It looks pretty horrible. While walking down the stairs, I press my lips against hers. She puts her hand on my cheek and kisses me back. Somehow I manage to get to the car, kissing her the whole way. We break apart, and I place her in the passenger seat of the car. I almost forgot, I have to call Spencer.

Spencer's POV

I'm sitting eating cereal in the kitchen with the girls. They had slept over for like the fourth night in a row. I don't know how we're going to graduate high school. We're skipping again today. My cell phone rings, and I pick it up quickly and say

"Is she ok?" before I even know it's Mr. Fitz. I mean Ezra.

"She's not dying, if that's what you're asking. We're at the hospital and she's getting her stitches fixed. Meet me at my apartment in an hour." I hang up and tell the girls.

Aria's POV

I'm laying on my side in Ezra's bed with him sitting right next to me when there's a knock on the door. Ezra goes over and opens it.

"Spencer! Hanna! Emily!" I say excitedly. They rush in and each give me a hug.

"Are you ok?" they all ask.

"I'm fine." I smile and reply. They each hug me again. Ezra comes back over and kisses me. I love him so much.

**So, Aria's back, I gave you some Ezria, review let me know what you want for the next chapter! Don't worry, the story isn't over yet. J **


	9. Chapter 8

**Yeah, I know, it took longer for me to update this time. Sorry guys, I have homework so it's not as easy to find a good time to write. I'll try my best though. Here's chapter 8. Happy reading! -sototallyrandom**

Spencer's POV

Hanna, Emily and I are at Ezra's apartment with Aria while he goes to set up some substitute notes.

"Here, drink this." Emily hands Aria a cup of tea. Aria sits up a little and shifts her weight to one of her elbows and holds the cup in the other.

"You guys really don't have to stay here." She says.

"We WANT to, Aria." I say.

"Yeah, anything's better than school." Hanna says. Aria laughs, and Hanna smiles, obviously glad that she cheered Aria up a bit. She's been depressed since we brought her back. Emily and I are the only ones who picked up on the fact that she's not very stable. I'm walking on hot coals around her, because I feel like if I say or do the wrong thing she'll snap. My phone rings, and it sets off a whole chain reaction of unwanted events. Aria jumps, spilling the hot tea on Hanna, who tries to move out of the way and bumps into Emily, who falls right on top of Aria. She scrambles off of her.

"I'm so sorry, are you ok?" Emily apologizes and asks. Aria just nods, sits up, and pulls her knees up to her chest.

"Aria, it's ok. You're safe." I assure her.

"That's what you guys said last time." She mumbles. Hanna opens her mouth to remark, but Emily and I both shoot daggers at her through our eyes, and she closes her mouth without saying a word. Aria kind of rocks back and forth with her knees still to her chest, and the fear in her eyes makes me feel horrible.

"You're going to be fine." I tell her. My phone starts ringing from a call, and Aria starts freaking out. Her eyes keep scanning the room, and I can see her nails digging into her own arms.

"Aria, it's ok." Emily comforts her. I pull my phone out of my pocket just to find that my phone isn't the one ringing. Duh. I pull Aria's phone out of my other pocket and hold it out to her. I had picked it up at the hospital the other day. She shies away from it, and it continues to ring.

Hanna's POV

Aria's kind of scaring me, because when Spencer tries to hand her the phone, she has this look in her eye, like she isn't really there.

"Oh for god's sake." I say. I grab the phone, answer it, and hold it up to Aria's ear. She doesn't respond at all. I put the phone up to my own ear.

"Hello?" I say.

"Hanna? It's Ella. Where's Aria?"

"She got sick."

"Is she ok?"

"Yeah, she's fine."

"Is she staying at the house all by herself?"

"No, she's staying at E... Emily's" Spencer stifles a small laugh.

"Alright, tell her to feel better for me?"

"Sure." I say, and hang up.

"Aria?" Emily says. Aria doesn't say anything, she just looks at her knees. I silence my phone, and then send Emily and Spencer a look that says do the same. Spencer puts her hand on Aria's shoulder.

"Are you ok?" Spencer asks. Aria doesn't respond.

"Should we try and get a reaction out of her?" I ask Spencer.

"What's going on?" I hear Ezra's voice behind me. I turn around and see him in the doorway.

"Aria, are you ok?" He asks and sits next to her on the bed.

"Yeah." She whispers. She leans into him and wraps her arms around him. He does the same. Spencer, Emily, and I share a look.

A's POV

"She was supposed to die!" Redcoat hisses. I look at the ground in shame. I'm almost happy she got away twice. I still have a few unsorted feelings for her. I always hoped that we would kill Ezra, so I could have a chance with her. I don't want to be the one to kill her. I'm only doing this because redcoat could get me killed if I don't do what she says.

"Jason, she should be dead by now! Twice!" Mona yells at me.

"I know, but.." I try to say.

"There aren't any excuses left for you. I'm killing her myself. After school the day she goes back. Then we'll take out the others, one by one." Redcoat says.

Ezra's POV

Aria is just sitting there, hugging me, so I hold her.

"Ezra, can I talk to you? Alone." Spencer asks.

"Sure." I say. I get Aria to lie back down and follow Spencer out into the hallway. Emily and Hanna stay behind with Aria.

"What?" I ask once the door is closed.

"It's Aria." She says.

"She seems ok to me, considering the circumstances." I say.

"No, she seems… almost…." She doesn't finish.

"Almost what?"

"Mental." She mutters.

"Aria is not mental!" I shout.

"SHHH!" She whisper-yells at me.

"What the heck would make you think that Aria is mental?"

"When a phone rings, she just sort of… freaks out. She wouldn't respond to us at all."

"Is that what she was doing when I walked in?" I ask. I'm trying to process still.

"Yeah, but when you talked to her she went back to normal almost instantly. Well, normal under the circumstances." Spencer says. Part of me is worried about her, but part of me is happy I'm the only one she'll talk to. I instantly feel guilty for thinking that.

"So, when a phone rings, that's when she does that?" I ask, confused. Spencer nods. It's actually kind of reasonable, what Aria's doing. She's obviously connected the sound of a phone ringing to what happened to her. Poor Aria. She's been through so much, I don't think she'll ever be exactly the same. She could smile, laugh, be her normal self, but I know she'll still remember this every time a phone rings, even if she does stop freaking out. I silence my phone and we both walk back into my apartment.

**Sorry for the short chapter guys! It's a little hard to write on school days, and I wanted to post something for you guys, so it's short. I know, it's not very interesting right now, but it's about to get a lot of A/Jason action soon. Review and let me know what you think, it really does make my day.**


	10. Chapter 9

**I know you all like this story, but sorry to say it's almost over. This is the second to last chapter. (so sorry!) Just enjoy it while it lasts. I will write more stories, don't worry. My stories will all be based around Aria, because nothing ever happens to her on the show.**

_Poor Aria. She's been through so much, I don't think she'll ever be exactly the same. She could smile, laugh, be her normal self, but I know she'll still remember this every time a phone rings, even if she does stop freaking out. I silence my phone and we both walk back into my apartment._

3 days later…

Aria's POV

I yawn, and sit up. I feel so much better today. I stretch my arms up in the air and my wrists are still stitched, but they don't hurt anymore. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and stand up.

"Hey, are you feeling better?" Ezra asks me from across the room.

"Yeah, I feel great." I answer.

"I have to teach today, are you ready to go to school?" He asks.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I really missed school." I say with a laugh. He smiles, and asks if I want him to drive me.

"No thanks, I don't think we can be seen driving to school in the same car."

"Oh. Right." He says. I smile.

"Thanks for the offer though." I say as I head to the bathroom. I smile because I already have a ton of makeup here from times I've come over.

Ezra's POV

I'm driving to the school when my phone rings. I check it, and it's a text from a blocked number.

_Don't let Aria go to school. Someone will try to kill her._

That's strange. It's not signed by A. I get another text when I park in the Rosewood High parking lot and look at my phone again.

_Spencer: Did you get the same text that Emily, Hanna, and I got?_

_Ezra: The one about Aria?_

_Spencer: Do you think that person is right?_

_Ezra: I think it's A trying to trick us into leaving her home alone._

_Spencer: Good point._

_Ezra: Wait she's alone at my apartment right now! She was getting ready to go when I left!_

_Spencer: CALL HER NOW_

I dial her number and hold it to my ear. It hangs up and I get another text from Spencer.

_Spencer: Hanna still has Aria's phone._

Fear slaps me in the face and I start the engine to go back to my apartment when a car parks right next to me. Aria looks through the window and smiles at me. I smile back, then text Spencer.

_Ezra: She's here._

_Spencer: Thank god._

I look up, and when I don't see Aria in the car. I have a quick panic attack until I see her walking into the school.

Spencer's POV

"Should we tell her?" Hanna asks.

"No!" I say.

"Why not?" Emily asks.

"You saw how she reacted to her mom calling her, imagine what she would do if she knew A is trying to kill her again?" I explain. Aria walks over and we all shut up.

"Hey guys." Aria says cheerfully. We each give her a hug.

"You feeling better?" I ask.

"I feel GREAT." She says. We all smile.

"Want me to carry your books?" Emily asks her, motioning to her still bandaged wrists.

"No, I'm fine. But thanks." She says. She seems so happy and perky. I definitely can't tell her about that text. I give the girls a look, and they nod in submission. Aria looks at us suspiciously, but quickly smiles again.

"It's so great to be standing up." She chuckles. I give a forced smile, still concerned for her. Everyone in the halls point at her and whisper, obviously because there was a report on the news when she went missing the first time.

"Why don't you take a picture, it'll last longer!" Hanna says loudly to the whole hallway. Everyone shuts up and pretends to be busy.

"Han, it's ok, I don't mind." Aria says.

"I do. I already feel like I'm constantly being watched without everyone.." I glare at her. Hanna stops talking when she sees all the perkiness disappear and some of the depression and fear creep back into Aria's eyes. I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Everything's going to be fine." I comfort her. She gives me a forced smile.

"I have to go to English to talk to Mr. Fitz about make up work." She says, because students are still listening in. I smile back.

"See you in class?" Hanna asks.

"Yeah." Aria replies.

Emily's POV

"You idiot." I say to Hanna. Spencer rolls her eyes.

"I'm sorry! I keep forgetting about her weird depression thing." Hanna excuses herself.

"Just don't talk about you know who." I say as Mona walks up to Hanna.

"Is Aria here? I wanted to welcome her back after… everything. I saw the news." Mona says.

"Mona, please, just don't talk to her about it, it freaks her out." Hanna says. I nod in approval.

Aria's POV

I'm not actually going to Ezra's classroom, I'm wandering the halls. I feel safer when I'm around more people, because A can't pull anything. I clutch my books to my chest and keep scanning the hall for black hoodies. I think I'm paranoid. Out of nowhere Mona walks right up to me and pushes me into a locker with her hands on my shoulders. The bell rings, and everyone goes to class. I'm totally freaked out, the halls are empty, and I'm pinned to a locker. My heartbeat speeds up and it's getting hard to breathe.

"What… what do you.. want?" I ask Mona.

"Poor, scared little Aria… You deserve everything you're going to get, bitch." She shoves me hard against the locker, then lets go and walks away. It's really hard to breathe, and I start shaking. I slide to the ground with my knees to my chest, and cry into my hands while trying to breathe.

Ezra's POV

The tardy bell rings, an Aria isn't here. _Please let her just be in the bathroom or something_. Spencer, Hanna, and Emily give me a scared expression. She doesn't show up for five minutes, I need to get the girls to go find her. I pretend to check my notes and say

"Spencer, Hanna, Emily, you're wanted in the office." The girls stand up and hurry out of the room without even grabbing their stuff. _Please, please let her be ok._ I think.

Spencer's POV

Hanna, Emily and I call Aria's name as soon as we close the classroom door.

"Aria?" We all call.

"What if..?" Hanna starts.

"No. She's fine. She's probably in the bathroom or something." Emily says.

"Let's go check there." I say, and we run in the direction of the bathrooms. There is a split in the hallway, and the bathroom is left. We turn, but Emily's voice stops us.

"Guys, she's over there!" We turn and Emily points down the hall to Aria sitting on the ground, sobbing. "Aria!" We call her name, and she looks up at us. Tears are streaming down her face and she's struggling to breathe.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Mona…. A… Pinned me… She said…" Aria sobs.

"Guys, she's hyperventilating!" Emily says.

"Shhhh, Aria calm down! It's ok!" I say. I sit next to her and pull her into a tight hug. Emily and Hanna do the same. After a few seconds, she calms down and is breathing normally. She's still quietly crying.

"What happened?" Emily asks.

"Mona… I think she's A." Aria says.

"No way, Aria." Hanna says.

"She just pinned me to the locker and said I deserved everything I am going to get!" Aria shouts at her.

"Hey, calm down." I say, rubbing her shoulder.

"Aria, I think you're just paranoid." Hanna says, annoyed.

"I'm telling the truth!" Aria chokes out.

"Mona is my friend, she wouldn't do that." Hanna says. Aria finally calms down.

"We have to get back to class, are you going to come?" Emily asks.

"I'm just going to go fix my makeup first." Aria tells us.

"Ok, see you soon." I say.

Aria's POV

I'm touching up my makeup in the bathroom mirror when I hear a noise in one of the stalls. I turn around and look under them all, but I don't see any shoes. I shrug and go back to the mirror. I see the stall behind me open in the mirror. I see who it is and gasp.

**I know, cliffhanger. Sorry, but if I kept going, I wouldn't be able to stop, so keep your eyes open for chapter ten! Please review :P**


	11. Chapter 10 - Game over

**So, this is the last chapter! :'( Hope you enjoy it though. The final action/violence is coming right away, so buckle up. Happy reading! –sototallyrandom**

Aria's POV

I see the stall behind me open in the mirror. I see who it is and gasp.

"Jason!" I shouted, sighing in relief. "Thank god it's just you. What are you doing here?"

Jason's POV

I limp towards her and she notices. I'm assuming the girls told her that Ezra hit A with his car when her eyes widen in recognition. Her jaw drops.

"It's you?!" She shouts. I clamp my hand over her mouth and she screams. I push her up against a wall, holding her tight, but trying not to hurt her.

"Aria, you have to listen to me." I try to explain fast. She tries to pry my hand off of her mouth.

"I'm part of the A team." I say. Her eyes are clouded over in fear.

"A isn't just one person. It's me, Mona, and Redcoat." She looks curious, but then struggles again.

"I'm trying to save your life! Redcoat wants to kill you after school today, I have to get you out of here!" I try to explain. She knees me in the stomach and I accidentally let go of her as I bend over in pain.

Aria's POV

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!" I scream as loud as I can and make a run for the bathroom door. Jason grabs the back of the neck of my shirt and it practically strangles me. He pulls me up against him and puts his hand over my mouth again.

"Aria, I'm trying to save your life! You have to believe me!" he tells me. Yeah, right! He wants to save my life AFTER he almost killed me twice! I don't even know if he's telling me the truth about more than one person being A. I kick him in the shin with my heel and slip out of his grip again.

"SPENCER!" I scream. I burst out the bathroom door and run through the hallways. I can hear his footsteps behind me, somehow he's keeping up, even though his leg is hurt. He must really want me dead.

"SOMEBODY HELP!" I scream again.

"Aria!" Jason calls me. I slip on a paper in the hallway and smack my head into a locker. Ughh. I'm trying to scramble up and run again, but I'm so dizzy I trip and fall again.

"SPENCER! HANNA! EMILY!" I scream, crying for help. I feel rough hands on my body and I'm lifted into the air.

"Put me down!" I order. I hear footsteps made by heels running.

"Hanna!" I call out, hoping it's her.

"Aria be quiet! It's Redcoat!" Jason shushes me. He pulls me into a storage closet and puts his fingers to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet. The door is open a crack, and I can see out. A blonde girl in a red coat runs by with Mona, and the girl in the red coat is holding a knife. Maybe Jason is telling the truth? I look into his eyes and he is terrified. I send him one silent look and a nod, and it tells him what he needs to know. _I trust you._

Spencer's POV

It's been ten minutes, and Aria hasn't showed up yet. _Dammit you idiot! You shouldn't have left her alone_! I tell myself. I tap my pencil twice on my desk, and Hanna and Emily look my way. We aren't in English, so we can't just say Aria and get a free pass to go look for her. I know that Hanna and Emily are thinking the same thing as me, so I hold up five fingers and start counting down in my head. Hanna and Emily tense up, and so do I. _5… 4… 3… 2… 1…_ We all jump up at the same moment and run out of the classroom before our teacher can even call us.

"Aria?!" I call out.

"Let's go to the bathroom she went to!" Hanna suggests. I nod, and we run to the bathroom. I push open the door.

"Guys. Her makeup." Emily picks up Aria's eyeliner pencil and looks concerned.

"Are we seriously looking for her again?!" Hanna asks.

"We should have told her about that text." I moan.

"I told you!" Hanna and Emily shout at the same time.

"Guys listen. I think I heard Aria!" Emily says. We all stay silent for a few moments.

_"SOMEONE HELP ME!"_ We hear relatively far away.

"Let's go!" I say, and we run in the direction the scream came from.

Aria's POV

"She's gone." Jason says.

"Who is she?" I ask.

"She's…" He starts. We freeze when we hear three sets of footsteps. Emily, Hanna, and Spencer run by the door we're behind.

"….." I try to say something, but Jason puts his hand over my mouth and shakes his head. I feel guilty watching them go, worried for my life when I'm right here. Jason waits a few moments, then removes his hand.

"It's safer for them if they don't come with us." Jason says.

"Why? Are you supposed to only bring me for Redcoat?" I snap. Jason looks hurt, and shakes his head. I see his hurt expression and feel guilty. I think he really is trying to help. He grabs my upper arm and leads me out of the room. He doesn't let go as we run through the halls. We finally get to the front. We just need to turn right and we're outside. We take the right turn, my stomach feels weird and Jason stops me in my tracks. Redcoat is right in front of me. I don't know who it is, she's wearing a mask. I don't realize until I look down that Redcoat's knife is protruding out of me. I bring my hand to my stomach and fall to the ground.

"Aria!" Jason shouts.

"Why?" I ask him, a tear rolling down my cheek. I think I have a better chance of surviving if Redcoat thinks I'm already dead, so I close my eyes and try not to actually die while playing dead. Redcoat laughs.

"I knew you would try to save the bitch, so we were waiting." Mona says.

"Aria?!" Jason says, and he puts his hand on my cheek. He checks for a pulse, and I know he knows I'm alive.

"She's dead!" Jason croaks. _Thanks, Jason._ I feel him slip his phone into my hand.

"One bitch down, three to go." Mona cackles.

Jason's POV

I want to call 911, but I know if I do Aria won't make it another five minutes. She's alive, and she's playing dead, so I go along with it to help save her. I slip my phone into Aria's hands, and it's already set to send Spencer whatever she types. I hope to god she figures it out, she's losing a lot of blood.

"Monsters." I spit. They just laugh.

Aria's POV

I open one eye just enough for me to see, but not enough for anyone to notice. I see the phone is set to send to Spencer, and I type quickly, literally as if my life depended on it.

Spencer's POV

We are frantically searching the hallways when my phone beeps.

"is it A?" Emily asks, terrified.

"It's Aria." I say, dumbfounded.

"But I have her phone!" Hanna says.

"It's from Jason's phone." I say.

"What does it say?" they ask at the same time.

"Do what I say or I'll die. Call 911. I'm out front with A. They can catch her and her friend. -Aria" I read.

"Oh shit." Hanna says. I call 911.

Aria's POV

I'm starting to fade away, and I'm scared. I hear sirens and know that Spencer got my text.

"Shit!" Redcoat yells.

"We're surrounded!" Mona shouts. I feel that it's safe to open my eyes. They flash open and I'm struggling for air.

"Aria, hold on! Everything's going to be ok!" He comforts me. The next few minutes are hazy, but I find that the knife is removed and I'm on a stretcher headed towards the ambulance. Police are putting handcuffs on Redcoat, Mona, and Jason.

"Not him." I use the rest of my energy to say and point at Jason. The cop takes the cuffs off of Jason. The last thing I see is four blurry shapes running towards me.

"ARIA!" they scream.

3 weeks later…

Aria's POV

I still have some stitches in my stomach, but my wrists are all healed and the A's are in jail. It's dark out, and Hanna, Caleb, Emily, Paige, Spencer, Toby and I are in Spencer's barn, celebrating. And let's not forget Ezra, who has his arm around me. I'm leaning against him, and his hand is running up and down my arm. We're all sitting in a circle, laughing, having a good time, and listening to music. Hanna passes out drinks.

"Can I say something?" I ask.

"Of course." Everyone agrees. I raise my cup.

"To the fact that now, finally,

a black hoodie is just a piece of clothing,

black gloves are for keeping your hands warm,

a text is from a friend,

and that A is finally just a letter." I say. We all smile.

"Game over." Spencer says. "We win."

"Game over." I repeat with a smile.


	12. another note

**So, my story is over. :/ I will be writing more stories with Aria as the main character, so don't be too sad! I might write a sequel to this story in a few weeks. I will post a note on this story talking about the sequel when I start writing!. In the meantime, review and PM me! I will be starting a new story soon, so keep your eyes open!**

**-sototallyrandom**


	13. SEQUEL

The first chapter of the sequel is up! It's called TAke Down! Go read it and participate in the vote!


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